christmas in our breakfast room

One thing that wasn't on our house priority list when we were house hunting in Charleston was a formal dining room. We've had one in all but our very first home, and what we've realized over the years is a formal dining room is basically a waste of space for us. We just aren't really the formal sit down dinner type of entertainers. And the hubs and I don't come from big families, so even when we're hosting holiday meals there just isn't that many place settings. So when we moved this past summer we sold our dining room table and chairs and found a house with just one casual dining space. It's open to both the kitchen, which has a large island and four barstools, and the living room. This layout just suits the casual way we live so perfectly! Plus now we don't have any rooms that only ever collect dust for most of the year. And in my book that's a win. Plus, the money we made from selling our dining room table and chairs went into the "new house accessories" fund so it was a win on all counts in my book.

I've literally been on a roll lately painting the walls in our new to us home. (get it - a roll? #socheesey) I just finished painting the walls in the casual dining space?, breakfast room?, eat-in kitchen?. I don't know what to call this little area, but since I just finished freshening her up I thought I'd give y'all a little look around.

I used the same wall color as in the living room (Sherwin Williams Shoji White). Most of the wals in the house were a non offensive beige which is nice and neutral, but I wanted something a little lighter and brighter with more of a cool undertone which is how I ended up with Shoji White. It's a great white that has a grayish undertone. For all you long time readers, don't worry I haven't given up my love for dark saturated color on walls. I have big plans for other walls…..and ceilings! :) But in this big large open floor plan living and dining space I wanted to create a nice flow and let the furniture and accessories take center stage, so I opted for light walls. You'll also notice I used the same fabric as in the living room for the curtain panels, again to create flow between the spaces.

Everything here came directly from the breakfast room in our Kentucky home, including the light fixture. I've loved this chandy for years, so when it got down to the nitty gritty of negotiating the sale of our house I came to the table with a list of fixtures I wanted to take with me. And I'm so glad I did because I love it in our new casual dining space so much! And bringing it with me saved me another out of pocket expense as the fixture that was here when we moved in looked a little small over our large table and chairs.

My Christmas decor is really pretty simple this year. I feel like the older I get, or really the older my kids get, the more I enjoy slowing down at this time of year. And I've found for me that less really is more as just a few decorations can make a home feel special for the holidays. A simple wreath and some poinsettias are really all I have going on in this space, and it feels like just enough.

I'm going with a little plaid on plaid for my tabletop. Found these chargers at Michael's this year, and I just love them! The green plaid napkins I purchased at Target last year (but these are similar and on sale!).

Let's talk about these $2.99 glittered poinsettias?! I mean, Trader Joe's just gets it right folks. Three of these cuties are making the sweetest, simplest centerpiece, and I think they'd make great teacher and hostess gifts as well……so run don't walk. #yourewelcome

Without a doubt these toy car place card holders are one of my favorite things to bring out this time of year. They make me so so happy and bring back so many memories of my son and his Hot Wheels days. Gone are the days when his stocking was filled with Hot Wheels and Thomas trains. #passthistissues

Sorry kid, Santa's elves don't make iPhones in the workshop. ;)

glasses, chargers - Michael's, napkins (similar)

Christmas is such a special time of year and taking the time to set the table for casual family dinners and pancake breakfasts just makes it all the more special!

Tomorrow I'll be giving you a full Christmas house tour. Or at least as full as it's going to get this year seeing as how we just moved in at the end of July, but here's a little peek.

chandy, table, chairs, barstools (no longer available in red)

*affiliate links used